The keel is one of the most important pieces. It goes the length of the boat, and has to be perfectly aligned with all of the frame members it touches.

I spent most of today getting the keel glued and screwed. But, first I had to deal with a new problem . . . rain. I had to put some tarp over the part of the patio that is uncovered. It rained all day.

The keel connects to the stem with carriage bolts. It also starts curving when it hits the forward frame member. I had to countersink the carriage bolts, so the bolt heads wouldn’t interfere when it is time to fair the keel to the bottom planking.

I spent all afternoon installing the transom knee. This is the other end of the keel, where it attaches to the transom. The “knee” is a laminated plywood angle piece that reinforces the transom. Working kind of upside down was tough . . . but I finally got it glued into place.

The tarp had to go up . . . because rain was coming down . . .

Carriage bolts in the transom "knee" are countersunk.

The keel overlaps the stem, countersunk carriage bolts, covered over with epoxy.